Manufacturing

Behind the Scenes at BeneLeaves: Cannabis Processing, Partnerships, and Growth

Company Profile & Background

BeneLeaves is a family-owned, licensed cannabis processing business located in Columbus, Ohio. Its physical address is 745 Harrison Drive, Columbus, Ohio. The founders, Peg and Jeff Hollenback, bring prior experience in commercial food processing and business operations; they later partnered with Bill Williams to scale brand, licensing, and sales activities. BeneLeaves was licensed (or began operations) early in Ohio’s medical cannabis rollout and positions itself as a standalone processor (i.e., it does not grow cannabis flower itself).

In promoting their brand, BeneLeaves emphasizes values of patient focus, quality, efficiency, and compliance. They also maintain a “white label/private label” business arm, wherein they manufacture cannabis products for other brands/operators under contract.

Operations, Facility & Compliance

As a processor (rather than cultivator), BeneLeaves works with Ohio-licensed cultivators to procure cannabis biomass, trim, or flower material which they convert into finished products. Their facility is built with scalability in mind and is about 12,000 sq. ft. in size. They claim to operate under standards aligned with FDA/USDA/pharmaceutical-grade expectations (i.e., “audit-ready,” good manufacturing practices, etc.).

The white label page notes that BeneLeaves uses industrial extraction equipment (e.g., CO₂ extraction, ethanol extraction, distillation systems) to convert raw biomass into distillates, isolates, or oils, which can then be formulated into various product forms. They emphasize detailed controls, strict SOPs (over 109 SOPs are referenced), third-party lab testing, and compliance with Ohio’s regulatory labeling and testing regimes. As part of their white label service, they advertise the ability to manufacture edibles, topicals, and vape products under contract, leveraging their infrastructure.

In day-to-day operations, BeneLeaves handles not only extraction and formulation but also packaging, labeling (including Ohio Department of Cannabis Coalition/DCC stickers), and distribution logistics to licensed dispensaries across the state. During the transition when Ohio moved toward recreational (adult use) cannabis, BeneLeaves also needed to adjust packaging, supply chains, and capacity to meet increased demand.

Products & Portfolio

BeneLeaves produces a variety of cannabis product types, marketed primarily to the Ohio medical cannabis market (and via their dispensary partners). Their publicly listed product categories include:

  • Chews / Gummies (various flavors, water-soluble formulas)
  • Baked goods / edibles (gluten-free cookies, brownies, fudge, chocolates, granola bites)
  • Vape / cartridge formulations (using locally sourced cannabis, terpenes)
  • Topical lotions / creams (cannabis-infused topicals, hypoallergenic formulas)
  • Capsules (with consistent dosing, using carrier oils)

They also promote custom / white-label formulations, wherein a partner can bring a formulation, and BeneLeaves will manufacture it under contract.

From media coverage, vape cartridges appear to be among their top sellers.

Leadership & Team

BeneLeaves’ executive leadership includes:

  • Bill Williams, Jr. — CEO/President, with experience in consumer brands and scaling operations.
  • Peg Hollenback — Founding partner with prior leadership in food & beverage and operations.
  • Kyle Light — COO, responsible for operations and process implementation.
  • Rose Keener — CFO / CIO / CSO, overseeing finance, IT, vendor relationships, and regulatory compliance.
  • Emilie Ramach — VP, Business & Government Affairs; she handles regulation, partnerships, policy, and scaling efforts.

The founders’ background in food processing and operations is often highlighted as giving them an edge in developing product formulations, manufacturing discipline, and ingredient sourcing.

Challenges & Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Regulatory compliance & testing: Operating in a heavily regulated industry, BeneLeaves must adhere to Ohio’s cannabis laws, third-party lab testing, labeling/packaging mandates, and track & trace systems.
  • Scaling capacity / supply matching demand: With adult use legalization (or expansion) in Ohio, demand may spike. BeneLeaves has already been preparing for such changes, but must balance scaling with maintaining quality.
  • Supply chain constraints: As a processor, dependence on cultivator partners for consistent, high-quality biomass is essential. Any disruptions upstream (e.g., crop failures, regulatory shifts) could impact production.
  • Margin pressure / competition: The cannabis space is highly competitive. Maintaining margins while investing in compliance, quality assurance, and growth will require operational discipline.

Opportunities:

  • White label / contract manufacturing: BeneLeaves has positioned itself to serve other cannabis brands (in- or out-of-state) via its white label program. This expands revenue and utilization of capacity.
  • Product innovation & differentiation: Because of their culinary & food background, BeneLeaves can experiment with flavors, delivery forms, and specialized formulations (e.g. high CBG/CBN, fast-acting chews) to differentiate.
  • Ohio market growth / recreational expansion: As Ohio’s cannabis market enlarges, BeneLeaves is well-placed to supply more dispensaries, new product lines, and grow distribution.
  • Patient education & trust building: They highlight transparency (e.g. terpenes, strain info) and facility tours to build credibility.